


How Hard Could It Be...?

by netlagd



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3319628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/netlagd/pseuds/netlagd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><img/><br/><i>"All I want is a hot fuck, a hot shower and a hot meal of homemade comfort food."</i><br/>Brian cooks for Justin. Jennifer helps him.</p><p>Banner (and beta) by the bestest such_a_steph who is totally underpaid for all she does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Hard Could It Be...?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fruciantechick](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Fruciantechick).



> This was written for the 2012 qaf-giftxchnge  
> Requested: Fic romance, comedy. I want Brian to cook a special dinner for Justin ...  
> Timeline: QAF: Post 513 assume B & J in a successful relationship; Justin & Brian live in Pittsburgh, at Britin  
> Disclaimer: All characters and situations from Queer As Folk are the property of Russell T. Davies, CowLip Productions, Tony Jonas Productions, Showtime Networks Inc. and others. No copyright infringement is intended.

_How Hard Could It Be...?_ Brian had been asking himself that same question for the last two days - ever since Justin had Skyped him with the good news that he would be coming home two weeks earlier than expected from his two month tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

"You look like shit." Brian glanced at the laptop perched on the bedside table. Justin's image dominated the small 13" screen and in a small window in the lower right hand corner of the screen played the image of himself, adjusting his tie. 

"Fuck you!" Justin grunted a laugh and leaned back in the chair at the small desk in his miniscule Tokyo hotel room. It was 9:46pm Tokyo time, meaning it was 7:36am in Pittsburgh. Where as Justin was tired and probably did look like shit, Brian was breathtakingly handsome in his chocolate Armani, looking well rested and ready to face the day.

"Remind me to fire Barry when I get back."

"Trip not going as planned?"

"I'm just tired. I don't where the fuck he got the idea that Australia and New Zealand were just a _'hop, skip & a jump from Japan - like flying from Pittsburgh to New York'_," Justin mimicked his agents effected, effeminate, New York gay accent.

"You can read a map - even Gus has a globe and can point out continents." Brian's snarky reply wasn't exactly what Justin was looking for.

Justin wanted someone to commiserate with him and join his pity party. He should have known better than to call Brian. "All I want is a hot shower, a hot fuck and a hot home-cooked meal full of American comfort food." Justin folded his arms and laid down his head.

Brian looked at the blond hair and weary face taking up the majority of the screen real estate - the boy did look tired. "I do believe I can provide those for you - of course you're going to have to move your ass back here to the Pitts to collect."

Justin seemed to perk up a bit. "Well, at least two out of the three..." His face brightened and a happy smile lit up his eyes. "Which brings me to why I called you in the first place. I'm wrapping up early here and should be home in about four days."

The early return took Brian by surprise and a look of genuine happiness graced his normally carefully controlled features. "Sunshine."

"So tell Ella to stock up the fridge with Macaroni and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Waffles, Pancakes, Sausage - oh, and Fried Chicken, Hamburgers..."

"Whoa! Haven't you eaten in the past two months?"

"Sure. But there's only so much Sushi a man can eat. I want Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches... oh, and Reece's Cups, crappy processed American Cheese, and big, fat cinnamon rolls dripping with icing - no wait, I think I can get those at the airport in LA when I clear customs. And maybe some corned beef hash and eggs..."

Brian seriously looked at Justin... he'd gone delusional on some carbohydrate fantasy high.

"... and donuts! Real donuts - Krispy Kreme or Dunkin', at this point I don't care - glazed, chocolate - oh, and what are those ones with the custard inside - Boston Cream! Yes! Boston - where the American Revolution began! And pie! Apple pie - mmmm..."

"Justin..." Brian tried to snap him out of it before he went off the deep end. 

"Brownies!"

"Justin!" 

"Huh?"

"Glad you have decided to rejoin us. Email me your flight information so I can pick you up. I'd love to stay and talk dirty with you, but I have an early conference call with Hasbacon..."

"Bacon?!"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Has-ba-con," Brian enunciated each syllable. "...the floor wax company. Anyway, I have to go. Be sure to email me the details of your flight."

Justin's eye's dimmed. "Uh, okay. I miss you - I wish I was there."

"You will be - soon. Try not to buy out the food court when you hit LA." Brian looked directly into the camera and smiled a soft smile. "Love you, Sunshine. Later."

A big smile lit up the laptop screen. "Brian... oh, fuck, I love you - more than food."

"You better."

"Later."

~*~*~*~*~

 _How Hard Could It Be...?_ Brian finally acknowledged that it was going to be harder than he expected to provide Justin his home-cooked, fat laden, carbohydrate infested food carnival. 

He'd closed up Britin and sent their housekeeper, Ella, on a well-deserved visit to her children. He wouldn't camp out at Britin alone for 2 months while Justin toured Australia and New Zealand and worked on a commission in Tokyo. Besides, with Gus was in school and no likely prospects of visiting, the place would echo like Kane's Xanadu. Given the winter weather, the loft was much closer to the office and easier to get to if there was snow or other inclement weather. It was just more convenient to live out of the loft for the 60 days Justin would be gone. It wasn't that Britin seemed cavernously hollow and lonely without Justin there to provide the sunshine, certainly not.

Which brought him back to the present where he was perusing the Food Network's website for comfort food recipes and his original question - how hard could it be to make a few of these dishes?

"Fuck it..."

"What's that?" Ted strode in with a hand full of contracts, followed by Cynthia with a desktop calendar in her hands.

"Nothing... what brings Frick and Frack to my office without an appointment?"

"Contracts for Hasbacon and Caroshine." Ted held up the contracts.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to take the week off at the drop of the hat. I'm trying to help Grace re-arrange your calendar and coordinate the meetings you plan on missing." Cynthia held up the book.

"Why the fuck isn't Grace doing that - I would think my COO would have better things to do."

"If you managed to keep an assistant for longer than six months, your COO might be able to actually do those better things..."

It was a standing argument. Ever since moving Cynthia into the COO position at Kinnetik three years ago, Brian was averaging three to four assistants a year.

"Actually, Grace is doing pretty well. She hasn't ended up in my office in tears since her first week, and she can manage most things on her own. But she still needs help when it comes to juggling your schedule and our most important clients. All of whom seem to have critical meetings booked in your calendar next week."

"You're going to have to take care of it... You, or Theodore here, should be able to handle meetings..."

"Of course. However, it would be a courtesy to at least let them know you are unavailable." She hesitated, and then asked the unspoken question. "You're all right - right?"

Ted's face darkened, it had been eight years - surely the cancer had not returned. "Bri - you know Cynthia and I can carry on if you need time..."

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Brian looked at the two drama queens in front of him. "Justin's coming home early and I'd like some time with my partner." 

"Oh! Of course... well, I'll just leave these contracts for you to sign." Ted dropped the papers on Brian's desk and scurried away.

Cynthia looked a bit chagrined. "Sorry. Of course, Ted and I will take care of the meetings. I'll let you know if we absolutely have to conference you in."

"Cynthia..."

"I promise to give you fair warning. I think the only one that may be trouble is Brown Athletics - you know Leo always wants you in the room."

"Fine - but make sure it is an afternoon appointment."

"No problem. Anything else?"

"Not unless you know how to make Macaroni and Cheese."

"Huh?" Cynthia was even more helpless in the kitchen than Brian.

"Justin wants a home cooked comfort food for his triumphant return."

"Surely Ella..."

"She's still on vacation, and I'm not calling her back early. Justin and I haven't had the house entirely to ourselves in ages."

"You could always call Debbie..."

Brian gave Cynthia a look that said it all.

"Right. I'm sure Emmett... Never mind." Cynthia pondered. "How about Jennifer?"

Brian steepled his hands and gave the suggestion serious thought. Jennifer might be a good person to press into service. She certainly knew Justin's preferences and she had enough manners to not hang around for his and Justin's reunion.

"Excellent idea - now I won't have to fire you."

"As if you'd be able to run this place without me!" Cynthia quickly stepped out the door as a stress ball sailed across the room and hit it as it closed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Brian rose as the waiter brought Jennifer to the table and sat her directly across from him.

"Well, this is a nice surprise." Jennifer gestured to the restaurant. "I haven't been back here to Rigoletto since they completed their renovation."

Brian reclaimed his seat and nodded at the updated furnishings. Light colored wooden chairs with high gloss polish had replaced fake leather, red banquets. Instead of red checked table clothes, crisp white linens graced the tables. The place no longer resembled a mob hangout. "They did a nice job. I bring clients here fairly regularly. They've started changing the menu seasonally, using local organic produce. The meals are lighter - not so much red sauce."

They looked over the menu and ordered when the waiter came by. 

"Would you like a glass of wine with lunch?" Brian offered.

Jennifer shook her head. "Better not, I'm driving. Plus, you said you wanted to talk - I brought my tablet." She indicated the iPad in the sleek leather cover. "I wasn't sure what you might be interested in, but we can access the MLS and any other websites you might need from this."

Brian rolled his lips into his mouth and had the decency to look a bit guilty. "I'm afraid, Mother Taylor, I may have gotten you here under false circumstances."

Jennifer raised her eyebrows, but waited for him to continue.

"I need your expertise - but not regarding real estate. Justin is coming home early..."

"Justin's coming home?!" Jennifer interrupted. "When? It feels like it's been months..."

"Precisely." Brian agreed. "As I was saying, Justin's coming home a bit early and has specifically requested a _'hot home cooked meal of comfort food'_." He decided discretion was the better part of valor, forgoing any mention of a hot fuck or hot shower.

Jennifer chuckled. "I'm sure Ella is rubbing her hands together - she told me about your ban on anything high fat and high carb. I can't believe you actually yelled at her when she made Justin chocolate chip cookies to take on the plane. Really, you need to treat her better or she's going to walk - and I don't know who you're going to find to put up with your eccentricities."

"A low carb, low fat diet is hardly an eccentricity. Besides, I don't think giving her two months vacation to visit family is being treated poorly. Back to what I was saying... Justin has his heart set on a fat and carb riddled meal of comfort food, all home cooked. However, Ella won't be returning for two weeks which leaves the cooking to me."

Jennifer paused, her water glass mid-air. Her timing impeccable - a moment later and she would have done a spit take. "You? Cook?" The look of incredulousness was followed by a barely suppressed giggle that bubbled up until Jennifer was laughing so hard tears were beginning to form.

"It's not that I don't know how to cook."

Jennifer pinned him to his chair with a look of _'yeah, right'_. "Brian, you don't even like to grill hotdogs and burgers at your annual fourth of July picnic. For heaven's sake, you had it catered last year!"

"It isn't that I can't cook, I just choose not to."

"Uh-huh. When is the last time you cooked something - in a real oven, not just warming up leftovers in the microwave? Grilling doesn't count. I'm thinking it was last century."

Brian gave Jennifer an annoyed look. Not that she was wrong, but she was enjoying herself far too much at his expense. He considered she might not be the right ally for this project after all.

"It had been my intention to ask for your assistance. However, now I'm thinking..."

"Oh Brian!" Jennifer smiled good-naturedly. "I'd be happy to help you out. I promise, I'll keep the digs to a minimum. I cleared the afternoon to work with you - so let's enjoy our meal and we can put together a menu then go grocery shopping." She swallowed the laugh that image brought to mind by taking a sip of water as she noted Brian's shudder. "Now tell me, what do you have in the fridge at Britin?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Jennifer took inventory of the massive sub-zero double refrigerator in the cavernous kitchen at Britin. Beer, Pellegrino, a smattering of condiments and a lime that had seen better days. She looked at Brian. "What have you been eating?"

"I've been at the loft. Since Justin was out of town and Ella was gone, it didn't make sense for me to stay here. The loft is closer to work, and has a far superior selection of take-out options."

Jennifer nodded. "Well it looks like we have our work cut out for us."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luckily, there was a sizable grocery store the next town over. The Giant Eagle had a broad selection and Brian was mollified by the gourmet offerings.

Since they were starting from zero, Jennifer insisted upon going up and down each aisle to insure they didn't miss anything. She'd done a quick inventory of the dry goods and while not as dire as the contents of the fridge, she'd have to lay in the basics to insure all bases were covered.

As the contents of the cart increased, Brian's comfort level diminished.

Frustrated, Brian huffed out his impatience. "Surely you have enough stuff by now."

Jennifer stopped mid-aisle, eyes pinned him. "If you don't want to make a return trip..."

Brian shuddered at the thought.

"... we'll continue. There's only a couple of more aisles."

Resigned, Brian followed Jennifer to Frozen Foods.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at Britin, after several trips to unload the cars, they were finally ready to get started.

"The best thing about these recipes is that we can make them up today and all you have to do is pull them out and heat them up in the oven tomorrow when Justin gets home."

Brian grunted his acknowledgement as he spied the numerous cans of condensed soup on the counter. _Do people really eat this shit?_

"I'm really glad we discovered the two crock-pots - that will make things a whole lot easier. You'll have enough food to eat for several days."

 _Shoot me now_ It seemed Sunshine's carbfest was to be a week-long activity.

"We'll make the casseroles first, then put the slow cooker meals together. This is a great kitchen. I've never really explored it - Ella or Debbie always seem to be managing things." Jennifer poked her head into cupboards and drawers taking out an army of tools, bowls, pans and utensils. She shoved a frying pan at Brian. "Here, you can cook the mushrooms."

Looking entirely foreign amongst the sea of food and cookware, Jennifer took pity on Brian and walked him over to the cook top on the island. "It's really simple." She put the frying pan on a burner and handed Brian the box of already sliced mushrooms. "Open this."

Brian did as instructed. "Now what?"

"Dump them in the frying pan and put the lid on them." 

"And...?"

Jennifer adjusted the heat under the frying pan. "Take the green beans and put the bag in the microwave. Cook them for four minutes..."

"I thought the microwave didn't count as cooking." Brian smiled sardonically.

"This isn't cooking, this is prep."

By the time the green beans came out of the microwave, the mushrooms were cooked.

"Now what."

"Open the bag - carefully or you'll get...

"Fuck!"

"... or you'll get burned by the steam."

"Yeah, got that."

"And put them in the glass pan. Then open up the can of Cream of Mushroom soup."

Brian popped the top and pulled it off the can, then immediately regretted his action. There was nothing appetizing about the grey gelatinous stuff held within.

Meanwhile, Jennifer removed the mushrooms from the frying pan and added them to the green beans. 

Brian raised his brows at Jennifer, who laughed and handed him a scooped spatula.

"Add the soup to the liquid from the mushrooms. Use the spatula to blend them together until the soup is incorporated and smooth. The heat and the mushroom juice will make the soup more liquid."

"Let's see... looks good." Jennifer poured some milk into the empty soup can and swirled it around, then used Brian's spatula to clean up the residue that coated the sides of the can. She poured the milk into the frying pan and handed the spatula back to Brian. Grabbing the pepper mill from the counter, Jennifer gave the grinder a few twists over the soup mixture. "Once that's mixed in, pour it over the green beans and mushrooms. Then toss it all lightly until they're covered."

Brian dutifully did his job. He was about to ask what was next when Jennifer handed him a plastic container of fried onion rings. "Spread these evenly across the top - use about half of the container."

Jennifer watched Brian and smiled. Things were progressing nicely. "Okay, grab that foil and cover the pan tightly and put it in the fridge."

While Brian was dutifully following orders, Jennifer put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Finding a cutting board and knife, she handed Brian an onion and pointed to the set up. "Peel the onion, then dice it. The pieces should be about the size of a pea." She turned to counter to pull together the other ingredients for the hash brown casserole. Having located the potatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, and soup, she turned back to Brian. He hadn't moved.

"You have chopped an onion before..."

"Well, not exactly."

Jennifer demonstrated how to peel and core the onion. She cut the onion in half and placed he haves face down on the board. "That will help with the chopping and less likely to cause you to tear up. Hold the onion with the tips of your fingers with your knuckles so..." she demonstrated. "Move your fingers back, careful not to cut yourself. Cut lengthwise, then cut widthwise, the layers of the onion will produce small cubes."

Jennifer watched carefully as Brian did as told. His long fingers nimbly held the onion as he carefully sliced one way then the other. He repeated the task on the other half.

"Good job! Put that onion in one of those bowls -" Jennifer indicated three small bowls on the counter. "... and chop up three more - we'll need them for the chili and meatloaf. Then peel the smaller onions in the bag, but don't chop them up - we'll need them whole for the pot roast."

"Do you really think we'll need all this food?"

"How long has Justin been gone?"

"Point taken."

"Besides, anything you don't eat can be frozen. Or eaten another night. That's the good thing about this type of food. It's almost always better the second day."

Brian completed his onion chopping and peeling. He sniffed his fingers and was unable to contain making a face. 

Jennifer chuckled as she watched Brian scrub his hands. She sliced open a lemon and handed him half. "Here, rub this on it, then wash your hands again."

Satisfied that his hands were free of onion smell Brian retuned to Jennifer's side.

"Okay, this is pretty easy. Open the can of Cream of Chicken soup and put it in this large bowl." She handed him the can and another spatula watching him as he carefully scrapped the can clean."

"Mix this in." Jennifer handed him a pint of sour cream.

"All of it?!" Brian was horrified - he could well imagine the amount of fat.

"It's light."

"It's fat."

"Light fat. Add one of those bowls of chopped onions..."

Brian mixed in the onions. Then continued as Jennifer added a thawed bag of shredded potatoes and a bag of shredded cheddar cheese.

"Okay, you can pour that into these two dishes and smooth it out so it's level."

"What? No butter?"

"Actually, the recipe calls for it but I think it's overkill."

"I'm going to have to roll Justin out of the house."

"That's why I divided it - you can freeze one." She handed him a brick of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a flat micro-blade cheese grater. "Shred enough to cover the tops, then seal them with foil like you did for the green bean casserole and put them in the fridge."

While Brian was wrapping up the potatoes, Jennifer checked her pot of water on the stove. Good it was boiling.

"Next?"

"Empty that box of macaroni into the water and stir it so the pasta doesn't stick - there's a wooden spoon on the counter. Put the timer on six minutes and place the spoon across the top of the pot."

"Why?"

"Why what? We're going to make macaroni and cheese - the macaroni needs to cook for six minutes."

"No, why the spoon across the top of the pot - why not just leave it in the pot. It won't roll off."

Jennifer crossed to him and took the spoon out of his hand, giving the pasta one last stir before balancing the spoon across the top of the pot and turning down the flame under the pot. "When you place the spoon across the top of the pot it cuts down the surface tension and the pot is less likely to boil over."

"Oh..."

"Never mind." She offered him another pot and a stick of butter.

"I thought we weren't using butter."

"We are for this recipe - do you think you can unwrap and melt it?"

"I think I can manage."

"Once the butter is melted turn the heat off and open the cans of evaporated milk."

"Dump it in?"

"No!"

"Okay, then what do I do?"

"Once the butter is melted we need to mix in flour, salt and pepper to make a roux."

"Roo?"

"Roux - it's the butter and flour mixture we'll use to make the cheese sauce for the macaroni." And as if predestined, the timer for the macaroni buzzed.

Jennifer had already placed a colander in the sink and, after testing a piece of pasta, she drained the macaroni into the colander.

"Butter's melted."

Jennifer added flour, salt and pepper to the pot with the butter in it and demonstrated for Brian how to mix it into a paste.

"Now you are going to add milk a small amount at a time making sure the roux and milk are well blended." Jennifer watched Brian for a few moments before turning her attention back to the now well-drained macaroni. She filled another casserole bowl with the pasta.

Brian had managed to get the milk and roux blended and was awaiting instructions. 

"Okay, we'll put this back on the stove - this is boring, but really important. You have to stir it constantly, or you'll get lumps. Let me know when the sauce begins to thicken."

While Brian stirred the sauce, Jennifer grouped together cans and vegetables, then went off in search of something in the cupboards.

"Aha! I knew Ella would have one."

Brian looked at the heavy black frying pan in her hands. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, you could do some serious damage with that. By the way, the sauce is starting to thicken."

Jennifer placed the frying pan on the counter and returned to Brian's side. "You want to stir or grate?"

"Stir."

"Okay." Jennifer opened a brick of cheese and removed it from its black plastic casing. She quickly grated the entire brick, emptying the shredded cheese into the pot Brian was stirring periodically. She opened a second brick and grated about half of it as well. She sliced off a piece for herself, then one for Brian.

"Open."

"Wha...?" Jennifer shoved the wedge of cheese into his mouth.

"Thanks," Brian managed around chewing.

"Keep stirring." The apple didn't fall far from the tree. Brian was starting to see where some of Justin's annoying habits came from. But, he was studious in his stirring and as the cheese melted, the sauce became smooth and well-blended.

"Pour that over the macaroni and mix it together well, but don't mush up the pasta, please." Brian was doing pretty well on this excursion. Overall, he hadn't really complained at taking instruction. And though Jennifer doubted he'd choose cooking as an enjoyable pastime, she was pretty sure he'd be comfortable assisting in the future, were Justin to ask him.

"Cover it up with foil and put it in the fridge?"

"Not yet - see those racks, place the dish on one of them. It needs to cool before we cover it and refrigerate it."

"What more do we have to do?"

"Meatloaf, Pot Roast, and Chili."

"Justin can't possibly eat all..." Brian stopped when his eyes connected with Jennifer's. "Okay, he can eat all that, but I'd rather he didn't."

"I'm sure the gang will be stopping by to say hi - this way you'll have something to feed them."

"If Debbie comes, it will only add to the haul."

Jennifer laughed in agreement. She put Brian on task to open cans of beans and corn telling him to rinse each in the colander before emptying them into the crockpot. She handed him a jar of Salsa and a can of diced tomatoes as well.

"That was easy."

"Well, we still need to brown up the meat and onions, and I'll need you to chop up some chilies as well. How about you wash and chop the vegetables? I need to sear the meat for the pot roast."

Brian washed vegetables and set about chopping up some jalapenos and Anaheim peppers. 

Jennifer showed him how to remove the seeds to help reduce the heat of the peppers in the chili. "Be careful not to touch your eyes with your fingers, the oils from the jalapenos will sting."

With a new-found respect for peppers, Brian chopped them up and put them aside in a bowl before moving on to mincing up shallots, celery, garlic and leeks for the pot roast.

"All done. Can I do anything to help?"

Jennifer was searing the chuck steak for the pot roast. "Can you open that bottle of wine?"

"Absolutely. We should have started with that, it would have made the afternoon much more pleasant."

Jennifer smiled, "Sorry, that bottle is for the pot roast."

"All of it? I'm thinking that I've sorely judged pot roast. It seems to have a lot to recommend it."

"Well, about half of it goes in the pot roast - that leaves a glass or two for us."

Brian poured two glasses, while Jennifer transferred the meat into the second crock pot. He handed her a glass and lightly clinked them together in a silent toast before drinking. "ahhh, good."

"It was one of the ingredients I didn't have to buy. You had a few bottles in the wine rack. I'd had it before and liked it"

"You'll have to take a bottle home with you." 

Jennifer measured out some butter and olive oil into the pan she had seared the meat in and turned on the burner. She moved the fat around to loosen the drippings from the pan. 

Brian leaned back on the counter - glass in hand. "Anything I can do?"

"I need the ingredients added in order - garlic, then shallots, leeks and celery." Brian emptied each ingredient into the pan as Jennifer stirred them around. The kitchen was beginning to smell quite good, and Brian's stomach actually growled.

A light chuckle, "It does smell good, doesn't it?"

"Yes, I guess I'm hungrier than I thought."

"Why don't you get out some of the goat cheese I bought and spread some on a few crackers for us. It'll go well with the wine."

Hors d'oeuvres Brian could do.

Jennifer added beef stock to the vegetables and then transferred all of the pan's contents into the crock pot. She measured out the wine and added it as well.

Brian offered her a dish with crackers topped with goat cheese - she took one and munched.

"Mph-OH!"

"What? Are you all right?"

Jennifer chewed, then swallowed. "I just remembered. Do you have some Cognac? I only need a couple tablespoons."

"I have some in the bar in the study. I'll go get it."

"Fancy bottle."

"Fancy price."

Brian suppressed a shudder as he watched Jennifer pour a healthy dose of his Camus Curvee into the crock pot. "This pot roast gets more interesting as it goes on." 

Jennifer added a bag of mini-carrots, the peeled whole onions and washed small red potatoes. She gave the pot a light stir and set it for low. "The longer it cooks the better the flavors will blend." 

"Next?"

"Rinse out that frying pan, will you? And wipe it dry with a paper towel."

Brian did as he was told and returned the frying pan to Jennifer who placed it back on the stove and added a small portion of olive oil before turning on the heat. "We need to brown the ground beef for the chili," she explained, handing Brian a spatula. She crumbled ground beef into the pan, "keep moving it around so it doesn't cook in clumps."

Brian used the spatula to break up the beef as it cooked. He was doing well until Jennifer dumped a bowl of onions and the peppers into the beef. 

"That was helpful." The statement clearly underscored the fact that it was not.

"Get over it. Once the onions begin to soften you can put that into the other crock pot. Give it a couple of stirs so it's mixed in with the tomatoes, beans and corn, then cover it. It's already set to low."

Chili done, the only thing left was the meat loaf.

"Wash your hands then rub them down with the other half of that lemon."

In an enormous bowl, Jennifer had broken up a package of ground beef and added the remaining onion as well as breadcrumbs and seasonings, followed by olive oil, tomato paste, ketchup, two eggs and some milk. She grabbed her phone off the counter, looking like she was going to make a call, before nodding to the bowl, "Okay, stick your hands in there and knead it all together until it is well mixed."

The look on Brian's face was priceless, captured for eternity thanks to the phone's camera.

"No."

"Yes. _A hot home cooked meal_..."

Brian's mouth became an angry grimace before he pushed up the sleeves to his cashmere sweater. He plunged his hands into the meat mixture as Jennifer snapped a series of photos of disgust and revulsion. _A hot fuck, a hot shower and a hot home cooked meal. Sunshine better not fuck with his choice of order._

"Excellent! You're a natural at this Brian, we'll have to do this again at my house when it's meatloaf night."

"Not a fuck's chance in hell."

"What was that?"

"You know me so well - but really, I'm sure Tucker would enjoy it much more. After all, weren't you saying all your men liked working in the kitchen?"

"Well, Justin always liked to play with his meat..." Brian choked at Jennifer's double entendre. "... when we would make meatballs or meat loaf." Jennifer smiled and winked at him. She gave a light laugh as she measured out four long sheets of wax paper. "We're almost done. Then we'll open up another bottle of wine and get shit-faced."

"Promise?"

"Would I lie? Okay, I think I've tortured you enough - you're actually doing a good job. You've got big hands..." She blushed at her comment. "I mean for handling the meat..." 

Now it was Brian's turn to laugh and wink. "Why Jennifer, I didn't think you noticed."

"Oh for heaven's sake. I was trying to give you a compliment. Please, just split the mix in half, and form them into oval, rectangular type loaves..."

Brian raised a brow.

"Okay, dump each half in the center of one of the sheets of wax paper and form it as best you can, then wash your hands."

Brian clumped the mixture onto the sheets and did his best to mold the mound of raw meat into the shape requested. He moved to the sink to wash his hands, but an orange coating of grease had formed on them and repelled the soap and water.

"Jennifer..." the impatience was audible.

"Oh dear," Jennifer tried to hide her laugh. She handed him a couple of paper towels. "I forgot to tell you to wipe off your hands first."

After a couple of dozen paper towels, Brian reattempted to clean his hands. This time the soap lathered up and the warmth of the water soothed his skin. Oddly enough, he found his hands softer than normal once clean.

"Now what?"

"We need to pat the meat mixture into a rectangle - you take that one and follow what I do."

Jennifer placed a second sheet of wax paper on top or the meat and pressed it, pushing it out until the mound flattened and the meatloaf mix became an even rectangular form. Brian wasn't having as much luck, his rectangle was anything but squared, meat oozed out the sides of the paper and there were areas missing meat all together. Then there was the problem that the meat seemed to slope to one side.

"What do you think?"

With her hands, Jennifer quickly trimmed the meat that oozed from the sides. She picked up the top sheet of wax paper and patched gaping holes and too thin areas, before patting the top sheet back down. Pressing down, she evened the rectangle out.

"Not bad. Okay, only a couple more steps and we're done."

Brian shook his head. "Let's get on with it."

Jennifer handed him two deli-wrapped squares. "Layer the provolone on top of the meat so it covers about three quarters of the length on both." 

While Brian was laying out the cheese, Jennifer wrung out moisture from the frozen chopped spinach that had been thawing. She laid it down on the counter next to where Brian was working.

"That's good, now add a thin layer of spinach."

"You're fucking with me."

"It's just spinach - you can wash your hands when you're done."

"If I haven't scrubbed down to the dermis yet."

"Look, we're almost done."

Brian poured the remainder of the wine into his glass, draining the bottle. "Let's get on with it." He flaked the spinach from the tight ball and spread it evenly over the cheese-covered meat loafs. Jennifer handed him the last deli-wrapped package containing prosciutto.

"Last layer, the prosciutto gets laid out over the spinach." Brian made quick work of covering both loaves. "Before you wash your hands..."

"Now what?"

Jennifer handed him a loaf pan. "We need to roll up the meat loaves and put them into the pans. No sense washing your hands, since they are likely to get dirty again." She demonstrated rolling the loaf starting at the end covered with the cheese, using the wax paper underneath to aid in rolling the loaf tight and minimizing getting meat on her hands. She finished by patting the section without the filling over on top of the roll and pressing in the meat on the side until it formed a neat round loaf that would fit in the pan.

"Voila!"

Brian did the same with his loaf - quickly, efficiently and quite expertly. He deposited in the loaf pan.

"Wow! You're really good at that." 

"Years of practice. Now may I wash my hands?" He was already headed to the sink.

"But you don't cook." Jennifer looked nonplussed.

"Transferable skills."

Jennifer scrubbed up behind him. "Cover everything tight with foil. We'll freeze the second meatloaf."

Brian wrapped and stowed the macaroni and cheese, as well as the meat loaves in the fridge and freezer.

"I don't know about you, but I could use a drink."

"Weren't you going to open that second bottle of wine?"

"I was thinking something a bit stronger." Pulling two tumblers from the cupboard, Brian poured a measure of the Camus Cuvee Jennifer had used in the pot roast into one before pouring a double measure for himself.

"To a _hot home-cooked meal_ , may I never have to live though such an experience again."

"You were a pretty good sport." Jennifer laughed as she touched her glass to his before taking a sip. Her eyes grew large. "Oh wow, that's... a-mazing."

A grin pulled at Brian's lips and a chuckle rumbled up from his throat. "At $2,500 a bottle it should be."

Jennifer nearly did a spit take - and probably would have if the liquor in her mouth wasn't worth more than $150. "And you let me use it for cooking!?"

"Anything for Sunshine - though he's going to owe me, and payback's a bitch."

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem." She took another sip. "Damn, that's good."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, I think you are all set." Jennifer had written down cooking and baking instructions for each item they had made. 

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Even if I don't know how to cook, Justin does. I bet he can turn on the stove and everything." Brian walked her to the door. "Thank you. I can honestly say I couldn't have done it without you."

A blush bloomed on Jennifer's at the compliment, it was so... un-Brian. 

Jennifer smiled and Brian was reminded where Justin came from. Then he did another un-Brian like thing. He cupped Jennifer's chin and ran his thumb along her jaw before kissing her cheek.

"I, uh, better go... Good night." Jennifer stuttered and almost stumbled out the door. How could she have ever thought she stood a chance of keeping Justin and Brian apart? She shut the car door, belted her safety belt and stuck the key in the ignition. The engine revved when she mistakenly left the car in park and stepped on the gas. "I'm sure it's just the Cognac." Jennifer muttered to herself as she headed to the interstate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brian had ordered a limousine to pick up Justin. That way they wouldn't have to deal with luggage and parking. It had been too fucking long since Brian had seen him, he didn't want to spend an hour dealing with such petty issues or separated by a console and bucket seats. Besides, Justin had been losing time all day with eastbound flights. 

Brian stood cooling his heels with the limo driver outside the baggage claim for Justin's flight. The motorized conveyer kicked in, drawing his attention from the terminal escalators. As a result, Brian missed the moment when Justin saw him. Justin's face lit up and he sped up to reach the man he'd been separated from for so long.

"Ooof." A shaggy blond tornado knocked the breath from him, before latching onto his lips. Brian took a few moments to savor the sweetness of Justin's breath before gently breaking off the kiss. Even in 2013, such a public display of affection might not be viewed favorably by all. He smiled down at Justin and hugged him close. "I've missed you too, Sunshine."

A cough from close by, drew their attention. "If you provide me your claim tickets and tell me what your bags look like, I'll retrieve them, sir."

Justin grinned up at Brian, raised his eyebrows and mouthed "sir?", before digging in his messenger bag for the claim tickets.

"Finally! Back in Pittsburgh!"

"I'll bet you never thought you'd say that with happiness."

"Brian, I really missed it. You don't know how much you miss something until you don't have it."

"Only Pittsburgh?"

"And you... fuck, you don't know how much I missed you."

"I missed you too, Sunshine." Brian hugged Justin close and rubbed against his hip. "All of me."

"Aw, a present for me? And, I didn't bring you anything."

Brian growled in his ear. "Behave, we still need to drive home."

"Sir?" The driver interrupted, "I have Mr. Taylor's luggage, I'll meet you outside at the valet curbside." He moved off with a cart piled high with Justin's bags.

"I do think I see a couple more pieces of Tumi than you left with."

Justin smiled, and waggled his eyebrows, "Duty-free, plus I had to bring presents back for everyone. Now you and I both have a complete set."

"And you said you didn't have anything for me -- how kind of you to look out for me." Brian hugged Justin, then steered them both to the sliding doors the driver had disappeared through.

Luggage stowed, the driver stood next to the Mercedes limousine. As Brian and Justin approached, he opened the back door ushering them in. As limousines went, it wasn't overly long or ostentatious. Black with just an extra length of windows, but the interior hosted supple leather seats and generous amenities to satisfy any level of creature comfort. For Brian, the best amenity was the privacy window and screen separating the passengers from the driver.

"Gentleman. I should have you home in about thirty minutes." The driver gave a small tip of his hat before closing the door with a firm hand. Having picked Brian up at Britin, there was no need to verify routes before heading off.

Now alone, Brian pulled Justin into his arms and thoroughly welcomed him back to the United States.

"Wow, I may have to go away more often just to come home."

"Over my dead body."

They hardly noticed movement of the limo as it made its way smoothly to the highway and headed west.

"I'd show you my appreciation, but once we get started, I don't want to have to stop." Justin rubbed Brian's crotch and reveled in the quick, hard response.

"You could always blow me." Brian stated, trying to be practical.

"Ever the romantic." Justin rubbed a bit harder. "I suppose it would help the time go by faster." He reached for buttons on Brian's fly. "Your jeans seem awful tight, are you sure you don't want to loosen them up so you can relax on the ride home?"

"Well, since you put it that way..." Justin's hand was already inside.

"Well, well, well. It must be laundry day, it appears all your drawers are in the wash." Justin didn't need to do much to free Brian's hard cock. It pulsed in his hand, warm, firm and fragrant. He buried his nose in Brian's crotch and breathed deeply, soft but wiry hairs tickling his nose. Soap and clean and Brian - a smell he'd very much missed. Justin pulled back a little, raising his head along Brian's length to its very tip where a drop of moisture clung. His tongue reached out and claimed the bead of liquid with a touch.

"Fuck!"

Brian felt Justin's quiet smile near his hip. "Are you going to make me wait or do you want me to beg?"

"Fuck no, why torture us both?" Justin leaned in, taking the long smooth length into his mouth and groaned in satisfaction.

Brian grunted in response. Justin was truly an artist in many mediums.

It had been so long, too long - too long to go without the essence of Brian on his tongue - too long to go without the heat of Brian warming is mouth - too long to go without experiencing the gentle strength of Brian as he fucked his mouth. Justin pulled back, painting Brian's cock with saliva before repositioning himself and swallowing most of nine and a half inches.

Brian's head fell back against the leather seat, his eyes shut as his breath caught. _Only Justin_. His hands sought the silkiness of Justin's hair petting and playing, encouraging as Justin rose up and down. Five minutes or twenty five could have passed, Brian neither knew nor cared. He felt Justin pull back and climb up to kiss Brian's lips, teasing them before returning to his cock. Brian felt Justin's hand reach inside and stroke his balls - the real one, then the fake - equal time as his other hand pumped along his length. Justin's talented tongue swirled along the head. He tongued the slit, and soothed the sensitive flesh before taking it into his mouth.

"Justin."

"Come for me, Brian." Justin swooped low, taking him deep in his throat before pulling back so he could savor the warmth and sweetness as Brian emptied into his mouth. Justin continued to suck until there was no more to be had. With small sigh of disappointment, he tucked Brian back into his jeans and rose to straddle his lap.

"Fuck, Sunshine." Spent, Brian didn't have the strength to say more.

Softly, Justin held Brian's face smoothing the planes, and yes, fine lines with his thumbs as he pressed muted kisses along his lips. Brian's mouth opened and Justin slipped his tongue inside, tasting Brian, sharing Brian's taste with him. 

Brian felt wetness on his cheek. "Ah, Sunshine. I do love you so." 

A slight change in the ride of the limo indicated they had left the interstate. Brian indulged in one last, deep kiss before shifting Justin aside and buttoning up his jeans. His reached his arm across Justin's shoulders and pulled him in tight. Justin leaned in and cuddled close for the remainder of the ride.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the driver had stored Justin's bags in their walk-in closet, Brian tipped him handsomely before closing and locking the door. "Justin? Do you want something to drink?" No reply. Brian climbed the stairs to the second floor only to encounter a trail of clothing. Picking up each garment along the way... he followed it into their bathroom where Justin was in already in their shower. Tossing the collected clothes aside, he quickly made short work of his own and they joined Justin's on the floor only moments before Brian joined him in the shower.

"I was looking for you."

"Don't be mad - I had to have a shower after 15 hours on a plane. Besides, I saved the best for you - I know how meticulous you are about cleaning all those hard to reach places."

"Hmmm, yes, you have covered a lot of territory today. You probably have a variety of germs that need to be eradicated. I'm afraid I'm going to have to scrub you thoroughly from head to toe and finish with an inspection of every nook and cranny."

"That's me, your little English Muffin," Justin smiled up at Brian who laughed and spun him around.

Brian poured shampoo onto Justin's head and began a most enjoyable scalp massage. "Mmmmmm."

Brian took his time bathing Justin. After all, he wasn't in any rush after the succulent sucking in the limo. He missed their time in the shower. Showering alone definitely was lacking. He lathered up Justin's hair before rinsing it clean and then massaging in conditioner.

Head done, Brian grabbed a netted ball and metered out a dollop of his favorite Prada Pour Homme bath gel. The stuff was highly concentrated, smelled heavenly and cost a fortune so you really only needed a small amount. And with Justin's compact body, a little dab was plenty. Brian ran the bath sponge along Justin's shoulders and down his arms, first cleaning and exfoliating with the net ball, then his free hand smoothing and rubbing the flesh clean of soap. Long sweeps down Justin's back and firm buttocks, Brian paid special attention to the fissure that divided Justin's delectable ass. Brian could feel a chill ripple under Justin's firm flesh as soap and hands touched along a particularly pleasing pleasure point, accompanied by low, sexy purrs and mews. 

Wanting to savor the moment, he turned Justin around and concentrated under his arms, then along his chest, playing with Justin's nipples and enjoying when they pebbled hard at his touch. As Brian moved lower, the soft utterances became lower in register and purrs became growls of pleasure.

"Perhaps not so much an English Muffin as a cat." Brian's free hand grasp Justin's cock.

"Fuck metaphors - Fuck me!"

It was Brian's turn to growl. Tossing the net ball to the floor of the shower, Brian grabbed some lube and coated his fingers. "This is going to going to be a lot more enjoyable than the last time I used this." He smiled at Justin as he turned him to face the glass wall. Justin shifted his stance to be more accommodating.

Brian ran his lubed fingers along Justin's crack, sliding back and forth before inserting a finger.

Justin's sigh of satisfaction echoed in Brian's ear as he worked his finger deeper.

Justin shivered then jumped slightly, dislodging Brian's hands from his body.

"Justin, what the fuck?"

"Sorry, you just took me by surprise."

"I didn't think anything I was doing was surprising."

"Maybe it's just the new lube, I wasn't expecting it to tingle."

"What new lube? This is the stuff we've been using for ages."

"But Brian, I felt it. It was warm, then hot, even now it tingles." 

Brian rinsed the lube from his hands and left the shower.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back."

Brian stood at the sink and washed his fingers with the lemon glycerine soap they used for hand washing. He dried his hands then tentatively touched his fingers to his lips, then pushed it into his mouth. Just as Justin had said, warm, then hot, then tingling. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Hey! Should I just finish myself off?"

Brian crossed to the shower. "No!"

"What's going on?"

"Jalapenos."

"Jalapenos?"

"Jalapenos. I cut some up yesterday and the oil still seem to be on my fingers."

Justin's brow furrowed. "Why were you cutting up jalapenos?"

"For you - _'A hot shower, a hot fuck and a hot home cooked meal of comfort food'_."

"Well, I think I've had enough of the shower and I'm more than ready for the hot fuck." Justin grabbed Brian and dragged him under shower sprays before rinsing himself off. He turned off the shower and pushed Brian out the door. Justin grabbed two towels, handing one to Brian, then grabbed two smaller towels and threw one at Brian's head before rubbing the moisture out of his hair. 

A quick dry off and Brian slung Justin over his shoulder, carried him to their bed. He unceremoniously dumped Justin down in the middle of the comforter.

"Don't you want to turn down the sheets - I might get come all over the duvet." Justin smiled at their ongoing joke.

Brian landed on top of Justin straddling him at the waist and pinning his arms out to the sides. "That's why they invented dry cleaners." Brian kissed him then licked his neck, his nipples, his abs. Then he reached out his tongue and licked the head of Justin's turgid cock only to have Justin explode across his lips.

Justin gave a strangled laugh or cry, Brian wasn't sure. 

"Oh fuck!" Justin covered his eyes with his forearm. "I'm sorry. It's been so fucking long, and then there was the limo and the shower and..."

A rumbling in Brian's chest bubbled up until he was laughing so hard he was crying.

"Well, thanks a bunch! It's not funny! I don't usually... you know... pre-maturely..."

"Justin, don't worry. It's just timing. It's not hard..." Justin snorted at that. "As I was saying, it's not hard to understand, given our time apart, that it might take a little time for us to get our rhythm back. But don't worry, I know just the thing."

Brian flipped Justin onto his stomach and crawled up the bed, blanketing Justin with his own body. He nipped at Justin's ears, nuzzling along his neck, ending with a sucking bite to his shoulder.

"Hey! That's going to leave a mark!"

"Don't worry, at least you won't have to wear a turtle neck to cover it up. Besides, I like marking you." Brian moved to Justin's spine, painting a serpentine path down the vertebrae to Justin's perfect ass. Brian grasped Justin's hips, raising him slightly, then reached around. _Yes, the boy did have good recovery time._ Holding Justin's cheeks apart, Brian buried his face in what he was sure was the most beautiful ass in the world.

If rimming were an art form, Brian was the Master.

"Fuck, Brian!"

"No Sunshine, I think it's time to fuck Justin. I'd say you're just about ready."

"I was ready twenty minutes ago."

Brian smoothed on a condom and coated the latex with lube before smoothing some along the flesh near Justin's hole. He was careful not to insert his fingers this time. He rose to his knees when Justin sank onto the bed and rolled over.

"Face to face."

Brian gently lifted one leg to his shoulder. "Yes, face to face... like the first time."

Justin closed his eyes and smiled. Whoever said Brian wasn't romantic? He was a romantic fool, his romantic fool. Justin felt the head of Brian's cock breach his body. He reached out a hand to Brian's forearm. "Please... go slow... it's been a long time."

"Sunshine." It was a sigh on Brian's lips. He slowly pressed in and Justin's body welcomed him. Brian lowered Justin's leg to his waist and leaned in to kiss him. "So good."

They lay there quietly for a few minutes, the only movement, their lips whispering loving words, taking comfort and satisfaction in being home. Justin shifted slightly and Brian moved in response. The spell was broken, now was the time to celebrate. Gone was any fear that their timing was off. For every thrust was met with joy and sheer delight of being reunited, at home and with one another.

"Justin... Sunshine..."

"Brian... Brian..."

Their bodies were one, building and cresting until they shattered together, their cries, exhilaration and bliss, echoing in the room as they dizzily fell back to earth. The room quieted to sounds of heaving breaths that evened out until they slumbered in peace.

Brian woke first, the sweat on his body cooling caused him to shiver.

"Justin..."

"mmphus?"

Brian steadied himself, one knee on the bed, one foot on the floor, as he pulled Justin up. "Come on Sunshine. Time for a shower, then food."

"Okay, but promise me we can sleep after we eat." Justin's eyes were still closed as he allowed Brian to tug him into to the shower.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You really made food for me?" Justin slipped into an old, familiar pair of sweats and poked his head through a soft t-shirt of Brian's.

"Hey! Are you going to start stealing my clothes?"

Justin buried his nose in his shoulder. "It smells like you." He smiled and batted his eyes at Brian.

"Fuck."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I can't believe you made all this stuff - for me!" Justin piled seconds and thirds onto his plate from the dishes and bowls on the table. "You know how to cook!"

"Well, you're mother did help - a little."

"I'll be sure to thank her. I did bring her back something nice from Japan."

Brian allowed himself a small second serving of green beans.

"I saw that!"

"It's not... bad." In fact, Brian had to admit, he enjoyed most of what he and Jennifer had prepared the day before. The chili was actually pretty balanced, and the pot roast as well, as long as he didn't fill up on potatoes. The meat loaf was surprisingly good - nothing like what his mother used to make or what they served up at the diner. In truth, the hash brown casserole was the tastiest of all the dishes, but he had limited his portion to a spoonful... okay, it was a large spoon. Brian resigned himself to an extra half hour on the treadmill tomorrow if he were to eat a bite more. But out of everything at the table, it was Justin's smile as he ate another forkful of the meal that was Brian's favorite.

"Mmmmm," Justin sighed. "I love comfort food. I can't wait to tell Daphne about everything you made for me. The only thing missing is something smooth and creamy for dessert."

Brian smirked, "that's a leading line if ever I heard one."

"Oh!" Justin blushed bright red. "I didn't mean _that_!"

"Well, as much as I'd like to torture you, I didn't either. While I didn't make it myself, I did pick up a small cheesecake from Rigoletto."

"Oh God, I'm in heaven. But I can't eat another bite!"

...

"Well," Brian fit the last of the dishes in the dishwasher as Justin placed the sealed leftover containers in the fridge. "Did you get everything you wished for?" 

"Huh?"

"And I quote: _A hot shower, a hot fuck and a hot home-cooked meal of comfort food'_."

Justin beamed at Brian. "And then some. However, I could probably go for another one of those hot fucks."

"On a full stomach? I'm afraid you might explode."

Justin ran his foot up and down Brian's leg, flirting. "If we take it nice and slow, I'm sure we'll be fine." He moved to the doorway. "You know, for an older guy you're kind of hot." Justin ran down the hall and up the stairs, laughter following him with Brian in hot pursuit.

By the time they reached the bedroom, Brian had caught up. He tackled Justin to the bed.

"Older guy? Kind of hot?" Brian pinned Justin with his body.

"Not so old, but definitely hot. The hottest. The hottest guy in Pittsburgh... in Pennsylvania... the US... the world."

"That's more like it." Brian tumbled to Justin's side before gathering him close to his side.

Justin traced paths up and down the hand and arm that held him close. "You know Brian, the only thing I really need to come home to is this." He pulled Brian's arm tighter around himself and burrowed into Brian's warmth.

Brian nuzzled along Justin's neck. "I know Sunshine, me too." He felt Justin's body loosen. The travel, the anticipation, the reunion and the food had all finally caught up with Justin. Brian felt him drift off to peaceful slumber. He hugged Justin close, before allowing himself to relax. _How hard could it be? Not at all difficult when you love someone._ "Me too, Sunshine, me too."

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's notes: It was pointed out to me that if you aren't from the US you may not understand the English Muffin reference - "Nooks and Crannies" have been a mainstay of Thomas' English Muffins advertising for years, see: [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QGD7PENhqI ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QGD7PENhqI)

In case you are interested in what Brian prepared for Justin, here are the names of the dishes and links to the recipes they are based on. In some cases, very loosely based on.

Green Bean Casserole - [ http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-green-bean-casserole-RE1511 ](http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-green-bean-casserole-RE1511)

Jennifer & Brian's version used fresh green beans and 8 oz cooked sliced cemini mushrooms in addition to the cream of mushroom soup. Also, the mushroom juices were used to replace most of the milk.

 

Hash Brown Casserole - [ http://www.oreida.com/en/Recipes/C/Cheesy-Potato-Casserole ](http://www.oreida.com/en/Recipes/C/Cheesy-Potato-Casserole)

Brian & Jennifer's version used grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese instead of Corn Flakes, and of course, skip the butter.

Macaroni & Cheese - [ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stove-top-mac-n-cheese-recipe/index.html ](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stove-top-mac-n-cheese-recipe/index.html)

Brian & Jen's version is loosely based on the above - they made a double recipe & skipped the eggs.

 

Crock Pot Chili  
In a crock pot or other slow cooker, empty:  
1 can diced tomatoes  
1 large jar of salsa or picante sauce

Drain and thoroughly rinse, the add to pot:  
1 can black beans  
1 can kidney beans  
1 can corn

In a frying pan, heat:  
1 to 2 tsp of olive oil

Add and brown:  
1 to 1.5 lbs of ground beef

Add and cook until softened:

1 to 2 sweet onions, diced  
2 Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced  
3 to 6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced

Add to tomato and bean mix in crock pot, stir.  
Cook on low overnight.

 

Pot Roast - [ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/company-pot-roast-recipe/index.html ](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/company-pot-roast-recipe/index.html)

Brian & Jennifer's version is loosely based on the above. Carrots, onions, wine and congnac were not used in the sauté - added later to crock pot. Beef stock was substituted for chicken stock and chicken bullion. Mini-carrots replaced chopped carrots. 3-4 diced shallots replaced chopped onion. Tomatoes, Thyme & Rosemary weren't used. The crock pot replaced the dutch oven. Potatoes, whole small onions and mini carrots were added to the pot - they didn't bother with pureeing the "gravy".  
Cook on low overnight.

 

Stuffed Meatloaf  
Use any standard meatloaf recipe to your liking, be sure to use a larger pan than normal. Here's a basic version if you don't have one: [ http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Meat-Loaf ](http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Meat-Loaf)

Brian & Jennifer's version layers of provolone, spinach and prosciutto. You'll need about 6 slices each of provolone and prosciutto. If you get the cheese from the deli ask them to slice it thin. For the spinach you can use cook fresh spinach until wilted or used thawed chopped spinach, be sure remove as much moisture as possible by wringing out in cheese cloth or patting dry on a dishtowel or with paper towels. Bake in 350 oven until cooked through - 45 to 60 minutes.


End file.
